Conformer-corset.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEro-E.

' CHARLES,l MUNTEE, or NEW YORK, VN. r.

conro|=nv|Era-cons'ET .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MUnTEn, a

citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of NewYorkborough of Manhattan,

` lin the county and Stat-ev of New York, have invented a new andImproved Conformer- Corset, of which the following is a full, clear,l

and exact description. l l

he purpose of the invention 1s to provide a conformer or health corsetfor men, women,

and children, which is very simple and easily applied and which can beeconomically made and Worn with comfort.

Another purpose ofthe invention is to so construct the healthbrace-corset that it will conform to and iit the body practically assmoothly as the natural skin, the shaping of thevarious parts ofthecorset being directed to thatl end, especially at the arm ioles and theshoulders, so that as the health bracecorset is tightened up upon theperson it will gradually restore the bonesand muscles at the chest,shoulders, and back to what should be their normal position, smooth theskin, and cause the lungs and bronchial tubes to be unobstructed, thuspermitting regular and easy breathing.

A further purpose of the invention is to so construct the improvedhealth brace-corset that it will lift the body from the diaphragm,impartin buoyancy thereto, and by causing y the verte rae to bestraightened out and held so to promote the active circulation of theblood, and also to so construct Vthe conformer-4 `corset at the armholesthat the more the corindicate correspondin er parts in all the tigures.Figure l ls a rear View ol tbe body portion of a 'ligure and a rear viewol the ront'ornuaeorsetnpplied t-bereto. Fig. is a t'ront elevation ol'tbe improved eont'ormer-etn'set. Fig. Ii is n side elevation of tbe bodyportion ot' n ligure and n sid;I elevation ol' the i|nprovedetint'irnu-r-eorset applied. Fig. t isa Specification of Letters Patent.Application filed April 5, 1905. Serial No. 254.028.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

perspective view' of the body portion of a fig.-

ure viewed from ,the front and illustrating the application of theconformer-corset as viewed from said position of the figure; and `6oFig. 5 is a rear elevation of the improved conformer-corset,illustrating the suspender attachment applied thereto.

The shoulder-blades of the human body from the fact of working and thehead lean 6 5` i ing forward through continuous habit and occupationcause the fleshy fastemngs or supports called "shoulder-muscles," withtheir coveringv of skin, to eventually stretch away from theirnormalposition, whereupon the 7o combined Weight ofthe upper portion ofthe bony structure ofthe body is brouffht to bear heavily upon thebreast-bone an top ribs, causing practically the entire weight of thebody to hang from the armpits. quently the downward working of the body'forces thelungs to sag and allows the shoulder-bones at the front tolap over upon the breast-bone, and eventually the bones of the shouldersare forced out of place, crowding 8o the narrowest portion oivv bothlungs toward the diaphragm, interfering with other vital organs,l andthese latter vital organs are then of necessity compelled to sag alsoout of place and find their way to their only source of escape-namel y,tl 1e lower portion oi the bodythereby not onlylimiting their scope ofaction,

but also leaving them without the protection of the ribs, as naturedesigned.

The lower vitalh organs from the above- 9o" named reasons are compelledto occupy a position at that portion of the body between the lowerportion oi the diaphragm andthe pelvis, and as the body constantly movesat this portion as on a hinge the lower vitalsare con- 95 tinuallydoubled up, and, dropping in one mass, give a false impression ofstoutness to the individual.

Itis my aim bv means of my device to correct the aforesaid conditionssurely by means oi a light yet strong conformer-corset, which when worn,as it may bc wit li'comparative ease, will tend to straighten tbe Abackland shoulder bones, expand the chest-bones from their hold them in suebpositioiby liit ng thebody att-be diapbrawfn and forcing tiE bladesupwartlhaml rearward, the. lnuseles and .alain at sueb points beingsimipltaiwously lConse- 75 gradually and loo contracted position ,..I o5 restore and firmly replace the muscles and skin at the shoulders andchest.,,andfrstore the vital organs to their normal position and ie.shoulder nev I carried in the same direction.

g r Y -f 811,425

In such position of the body the lungs are unobstructed and respirationis rendered perfect, the members of the vertebrae are normally spaced,permitting the free circulation of the blood, and the entire bodyexperiences a sensation lof lightness in consequence.

The conformer-corset consists, primarily,

of a back A, shoulder-straps B, a belt D, and

lacings .(1, which connect the back with the' belt. The back is in twosections 1Q and 11, of corresponding shape and' proportions, the

,opposing vertical edges 12 being straight and Y neck and the shouldersto a point near the waist-line, as is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, andfrom a point just below the armpits the said'back sections are inclinedor curved.

downwardly and rearwardly, as illustrated at 14 in the drawings, formingjointly at their lower abutting sections a central downwardlypointedsection 1'5,which whenthe article is tending from top to bottom of thearticle; but` and that portion of the chest below and adj aj Wornengages with the spine above the waist, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

'Stays 16 are located adjacent to the rear edges y12 of the backsections 10 and 11, ex#

otherwise the article is constructed ofa pliable fabric, preferably aslight as possible consistent-with strength, and the upper edges 17 ofthe back sections are shaped to conform to the contour of the base ofthe neck at the back and partially at the sides.

The shoulder-straps B are in one piece or integral with theback sections10 and 11, and in producing said shoulder-straps they are so shaped thatin conjunction with the back sections 10 and 11 they coliform to theproper contour of the shoulder-blades at the back and at the top of theshoulders and individually conform to the-front of the shoulder-bladescent thereto and likewise to that portion of the body belowland-adjacentto the under portion of the arms. 'In fact, theshoulderstraps are in construction as near as possible a duplicationofthe skin covering the parts mentioned when said parts are in propernor-` mal position, or approximately so.

The shoulder-straps B diverge in width as they approach the und erportion of the armhole 18, as lshown in Figs. 2 and 4, and theirinner-edges 19 are curved downwardly and outwardly from'the upper edgesof the back sections 10 and 11, .the curves being on convexed lines,while the outer or rear edges 20 of the shoulder-straps B are curved attop andl I. bottom on concaved lines; but between the Cpncaved sectionsatsaid outer or rear edges ofj the shoulderstraps rearwardly-extendingconvexed projections 21 are formed, which when thebrace is worn extendover the arm pits at the front, as is shown in Figs. 3 and f1, and servepractically as hinges for the shoulder-straps under the armpits, sincewhen the arms are moved in a forward direction the shoulder-straps willcrease at the projections 21 on a. line continuous with the concavedcurvature of the rear edges of the said straps, and the said convexprojectii'in 21 will slide upon the arm, and thereby prevent thematerial of the shoulder-straps l'roin bunching or closely folding andirritating the skin of the.

wearer under the armpits, as the entire weight of the upper portion ofthe body rests upon the shoulder-straps at these points. With reference'to `the1acings C, said laces are in pairs crossed at the inside ofthe-back sections 10 and 11 `and are passed through corresponding pairsof eyelets 13 and are then crossed or interlaced and carried downward atthe outside of the back sections, as is shown in Figs. 1` and 5,-thesaidlaces being carried in series in opposite directions, and one series oflaces-that to theright, forexainple secured to a section 22 of thebeltD, while the other series of laces at the left is secured toa secondsection`l23 of the said-beltD, i

which latter section vof tV with a buckle 24fo`r`itsjeqiiivalent.

When the healthibrace-corset'is worn, the belt is drawn tight andfastened at the front, the belt being carried below the fifth ribs, sothat upon tightening the belt vthe body of the wearer is lifted upfroin'the diaphragm, the shoulders are drawn upward and rearward, thechest is expanded, and the organs of digestion are supported andsustained in the position they wereiiitended-to occupy; In ordertovpreventjthe 'possibility' of the belt D slippin 'upward duringhe'initial treatment, hoo is 25 may be secured tothe sections of the beltDto be engaged by the loops upon the drawers of the wearer of thegarments. I alsosometimes employ the suspender attachment shown in Fig.5, inl which pulleys 26 are secured to the lower edges of the backsections lOiand 1 1. near the front, and a third pulley 27 `is s; curedto the central lower portion of they said back sections. A cord 28 ispassed V,over said pulleys. Suspender-ends 83 are connected in anysuitable or approved manner the supports 'for pulleys 29, 30, 31, and32and the said cord 2S is attached at one end to the support for thepulley 2 Qand is then passed over the pulley 30.' It is then passed overthe pulley-27, and from the pulley 27 the cord 28 is assed over thepulley 31, thence over the pulley 26 at the right-hand Side of thebrace, and through the supportfor the right-hand pulley 32, the saidcord at its right-hand end terminating in ajknot or enlargement, so thatthe slack of the cord niay'be taken up readily at any time by simplydrawing out its right` hand end and knotting or enlargingiit, so that hebelt is provided.'

IOO

it cannot pass through the support for the said right-hand pulley 32.

Having thus described my invention, I claim aslnew and desire to secureby Letters Patent- A conformer-corset, comprising a back l'orined of twosections, having their upper edges shaped to conform to the contour ofthe neck at the back and partly at the sides, the sections being formedwith armholes, the front portions thereof forming integral and unbrokenshoulder-straps adapted to the true formation of the shoulder-blades,adjar-rnt portions o'lA the breast, and the armpits of' the wearer, thefront edges of the straps boing curved downwardly and outwardly, thecurves boing on convex lines, and their out-er or rear edges beingcurved at top and portions forming bottom on concave lines and curved onconvexed lines intermediate of the said curved projections which foldoutwardly and prevent eha'ling 'under the armpits, a series of lacingsconnecting the sections of ,the back, each series being carried downwardat the outer face of the said sections in opposite directions, and asectional belt, to the'rear ends oi the sections of which the lacingsare secured, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my 3c name to` this speciiication inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES MUNTER.

Witnesses JNO. M. RITTER, A. H. DAVIS.

